Govt to develop 90 islands on borderlines

Govt to develop 90 islands on borderlines

JAKARTA: In response to its loss in the legal battle over
Sipadan and Ligitan islands off Kalimantan last year, the
government is now mapping out plans to develop some 90 outlying
islands across the country, a cabinet minister says.

Minister of Maritime and Fishery Affairs Rokhmin Dahuri said
on Thursday that the government would show Indonesia's
sovereignty over those islands by building lighthouses and other
infrastructure there.

"Aside from lighthouses, we will also launch economic and
social programs for people living on those islands so they will
be more familiar with Indonesia," Dahuri said.

Dahuri said people on outlying islands were more familiar with
the culture and language of neighboring countries, than those of
Indonesia.

"The President instructed that we should move ahead with
development programs on those islands," the minister added.

Schools and training centers for local people, where Bahasa
Indonesia is the spoken language, will be set up under the
programs, he said. -- JP